Gendarme and police push villagers, hugging trees to prevent logging, out of Akbelen forest

Photo: Akbelen Yuvamız Vermeyeceğiz / Twitter

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The resistance to tree logging in the Akbelen Forest continued today starting from the early hours but the police and gendarme forcefully took the activists out of the logging area later in the morning.

İkizköy villagers and ecologists resisting tree logging that was started in the Akbelen Forest in Milas, Muğla on Monday (July 24) entered the logging area early in the morning today (July 26). 

The protesters prevented passage of the vehicles of the company vehicles by means of a sit-in action on a road in the logging area. The response to this was that police and gendarme were dispatched to the spot. 

The villagers and ecologists then hugged the trees, stating once again that it is very important for the İkizköy villagers that the Akbelen Forest remains a forest. They continued their action despite being threatened with detention but were forcefully taken out of the area. 

Ağaçlarımıza sarıldık, vazgeçmiyoruz!#AkbeleneDokunmapic.twitter.com/NQvYrd2OIr

— Akbelen Yuvamız Vermeyeceğiz ???????????? (@ikizkoydireniyo) July 26, 2023

What happened?

YK Energy co-owned by Limak Holding and İÇTAŞ operating the Yeniköy and Kemerköy thermal power stations, had obtained the necessary permissions to open 740 decares of land within the Akbelen forest in İkizköy to convert it to an open coal mine providing lignite for the thermal power stations. The company had however met with the resistance of the İkizköy villagers.

A tree logging team of the Forest Administration entering the Akbelen forest at 06:00 am on July 17, 2021, had cut nearly 30 trees before the İkizköy villagers reached the spot.

The villagers are keeping watch in the forest ever since. (VC/PE)